Grassroots Writers’W E E K E N D P R O G R A M

8th – 10th May, 2015Coffs Harbour Community Village (22 Earl Street, Coffs Harbour)

Presented by Coffs Harbour Writers Group

FRIDAY 8th MAY2.30 - 3.30 pm: Registration and afternoon tea(Information: What’s going on where, Introductions, mingling)

3.30 – 5.00 pm: Concurrent sessions (Choose one):m Plotting and planning – Lisa Milner (Room 1)Every good idea needs a plan and every engaging story needs a plot. Here writer, academic and filmmaker, Dr Lisa Milner, concentrates on the early stages of writing. Using examples and exercises, she’ll explore getting started, inspiration, writing strategies, finding your voice, and throw around ideas about creativity, composition, style, plotting and planning. A hands-on session for writers at all stages.

m Writing your memoir – stories from life – Jenny Ledgar (Room 2)Everybody’s life holds many tales. Whether it’s your life or that of a family member, there’s bound to be something fascinating about it. That’s why the contemporary memoir— everyday people telling their stories—has become so popular and where many writers start exploring their voice. A memoir covers an aspect of a life, whether it’s a short piece about, say, an intrepid motorbike journey, or a book tracing generations of your family in Australia. This workshop, with writer and academic, Dr Jenny Ledgar, will include a guided discussion on what makes life writing successful and a small group activity where participants have the opportunity to write and share some of their own work. Please bring a small personal object to inspire your life writing.

5.30 – 6.00 pm: Keynote address – Storytellers and their Legacy - Greg Barron(Combined Rooms 1 and 2) Joint session

6.00 pm: Welcome to Country by Auntie Bea Ballangarry and Official Opening by the Mayor of Coffs Harbour: Cr Denise Knight

6.30 pm - 9.00 pm: Drinks and Barbecue – Community Village Courtyard. Tickets $25 eachGetting to know each other. Bring your own wine. Soft drinks provided.

SATURDAY 9th MAYFrom 8.30 am: Tea and coffee (provided)

9.00 – 10.15 am: The Art of Story Telling (Joint session)Panel of writers, broadcasters and yarn spinners chaired by Liz Keen (ABC Open). Developing your writers’ voice, drawing on life in the stories we tell - Greg Barron, Fiona McArthur, Stephanie Hunt, Jenny Ledgar, Iris Curteis (Combined Rooms 1 and 2)

10.15 – 10.45 am: Morning Tea (provided)

10.45 am - 12.15 pm: Three concurrent sessions (choose one):m Writing personal profiles for magazine/novels - Stephanie Hunt (Room 1)Writing great profiles is a skill not only for human interest magazine articles but also to make your characters rounded, real- ‐life, in your fiction and non- ‐fiction. You have to get to the essence of your character just like an interviewer on a television program or in a magazine article. Learn how to establish rapport, ask the right questions, get into the mind of the interviewee, find a hook for your profile and pull together a compelling article. Here, feature writer, author, marketer and social media whizz, Stephanie Hunt, will reveal all.

m Talking travel writing - Monica Joseph (Room 2)Travel broadens the mind and the writers’ bank of ideas for settings, situations and customs. Make the most of your travels, whether to Darwin or Dubrovnik, with ‘go anywhere’ motorcycle traveller, Monica Joseph, who has crossed many parts of the globe… on two wheels. In this session Monica will focus on what to look for when you travel and how you should record it. There will be an emphasis on inspiring you to write down the personal side of your journeys, as well as the sights, and on sharing your insights with others.

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m Crime and thriller writing: turning a story into a page turner – Greg Barron (Room 3)It’s not always hard to get 70,000 words down on paper, but crafting that first draft into a tightly plotted novel, that will have readers biting their nails and staying up all night, requires special skills. In this session, internationally acclaimed crime thriller writer, Greg Barron, reveals the techniques writers use to keep their fans guessing. Greg is known for his gripping plots and ‘chilling sense of place’ (Good Reading magazine). ‘What makes Rotten Gods [one of Barron’s thrillers] so compelling is the electrifying pace with which he constructs his story’, said the ABC Radio Bookworm program. Come and find out how hedoes it!

12.15 – 1.30 pm: Lunch (bring your own)A book launch will be taking place in the courtyard for Rosalie Skinner’s new book, Exiled: Autumn’s Peril, Book 1 in the Chronicles of Caleath. All welcome. Light refreshments and tea tasting from Red Sparrow Tea Company, Coffs Harbour.

1.30 – 3.00 pm: Three concurrent sessions. (Choose one):m Writing romance ‐ Fiona McArthur (Room 1)“Sexual tension doesn’t mean writing about sex.” Fiona McArthur.In this session, internationally bestselling romance writer, Fiona McArthur, will teach why you should put a dash of romance, a thread of sexual tension, in your writing. It doesn’t matter which genre you write for - putting a romantic interest in your manuscript will more often than not broaden the appeal and enjoyment for readers. And increase your sales. Fiona says, “Let’s write a ‘cute meet’ or a ‘first kiss’ or a ‘first touch that was like ‘magic’ and see how easy it is to create a romantic moment that will stay with your reader and show a previously hidden side of your character that will make your reader care more.”

m Writing for children and young adults – Zacharey Jane (Room 2)Many of us have great book ideas for children and teens, but simply aren’t sure where to start. Whether it’s an alphabet rhyme, epic fantasy, comic adventure, romance or realism you want to write, this session with children’s author, Zacharey Jane, covers all the essentials to get you started. We’ll look at the dos and don’ts of writing for children and young adults, including determining the age group, appropriate story lines, vocabulary and more. There’s a special skill in writing fiction for children and young adults, creating characters they will feel passionate about or a rhyming story they will want over and over again. In some ways, they can be some of the toughest critics you will ever face!

m Establishing the world of your story – Rosalie Skinner (Room 3)In this workshop we will explore how to create a world our readers can navigate and understand. Even though we may create an imaginary world an author needs to know how and why the world’s elements exist. We will discuss different aspects of world building to ensure the world is well rounded. From culture to geology, climate to garments, an author has a duty to share as much data as possible. Our workshop will cover how to achieve this without overwhelming our readers. All the equipment you will need is pen, paper and imagination.

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3.00 – 3.30 pm: Afternoon tea (provided)

3.30 pm – 5.00 pm: Three concurrent sessions (Choose one):m Writing and performing poetry - Ron Pike and Sally Ross (Room 1)Come and let your senses play,For an hour or two near the end of the day. We hope you’ll find your inner voice,Hear different styles then make a choice.Learn rhythm and flow and maybe rhyme, Enjoy creating and have a good time...Practical fun exercises and performance with two very different poets, Ron Pike and Sally Ross. A treat for the senses at the workshop and later you may wish to share your creations with others at the Dinner.

m The folded space – Writing magical realism – Iris Curteis (Room 2)Magical realism is literary boundary pushing. It entices us to pry reality apart and peer through the unpicked fibres into a space where the magical, the supernatural and the extraordinary fold themselves into the normal and the plausible without a ruck or wrinkle. In this folded space where reality and magic overlap – from the whimsical to the uncanny – anything is possible. Through examples and exercises, storyteller extraordinaire, Dr Iris Curteis, will give you a simple set of skills and the enthusiasm to start on a new piece of writing.

m Writing short stories - Melissa Beit (Room 3)“You learn by writing short stories. Keep writing short stories. The money’s in novels, but writing short stories keeps your writing lean and pointed.” (Larry Niven)One of the best ways to learn the craft of writing, short stories are also fun! You can fly off into another era, country, body, gender, or age and be home in a couple of hours. In this workshop we’ll explore the short story form, drawing on examples from a range of successful short stories. We’ll also cover sources of inspiration, keeping to a word limit, editing, and layering in themes or twists. Come prepared to write.

6.30 pm – 10 pm: Dinner and Poetry/Writing slam (Community Village $30 per head.Entertainment, quizzes, fun! Bring your own wine. Soft drinks provided.

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SUNDAY 10th MAYFrom 8.30 am: Tea and coffee (provided)

9.00 – 10.30 am: Three concurrent sessions (choose one):m What will I write about? Ideas, planning, techniques – Melissa Beit (Room 1)“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones whosee five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.” (Orson Scott Card)In this session we will tease out the thread of an idea and begin to weave it into a story. We’ll discuss story arcs, finding your voice, creating good writing ‘habits’, who to show your work to and when, research, and the magical process of editing. Come prepared to write, with or without an idea.

m Creating great characters – Greg Barron (Room 2)Great characters provoke emotions in their readers: love, hate, empathy, disgust and a thousand shades in between. In order for this to happen the characters need to seem real. Good writers use a combination of description, dialogue, and internal narrative to bring their ‘darlings’ to life. Internationally bestselling crime writer, Greg Barron, will discuss how to add layers of personality, slowly building characters that come to life on the page.

m Developing your writer’s voice – Jenny Ledgar (Room 3)It’s a common plea from agents and publishers: “I’m looking for authors with a distinctive voice.” In this workshop from academic and writer, Dr Jenny Ledgar, we will look at howsuccessful writers have developed their own original voice, or style. A writer’s voice is something uniquely their own. It makes their work hum, engage, plus readers recognize thefamiliarity. Conversely, a writer may use a different ‘voice’ for different genres. Some aspects of writing such as managing the point of view and descriptive writing will be covered. There will be a short writing exercise and time to read and discuss some of the pieces.

10.30 – 11.00 am: Morning Tea (provided)

11.00 am - 12.30 pm: Three concurrent sessions (choose one):m Turning stories into screenplays – Lisa Milner (Room 1)This workshop deals with creating a film or television piece from your writing. Dr Lisa Milner will help you understand how to create a screenplay from your stories, and especially how to work in visual language. She’ll explore ways that you can approach character, dialogue, action and plot when you write for the screen. Come along with your written piece or idea that you’d like to develop for the screen.

m Online tools (and pen) for writing and editing – Michael Burlace (Room 2)Come and learn about editing that works! This session will assist you to see your work as your reader does. Editing is neither writing nor rewriting and it uses different parts of the brain and so it must be separated out. It leads to more writing and rewriting. Newspaper

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and magazine editor, sub editor and author, Michael Burlace, will show you how to make it work well. You will try out some well ‐ proven techniques and writing tools - from pencil and paper to software - to boost your success. And Michael promises you will have fun!

m Researching the facts, interviewing and research skills – Robyn Veugen (Room 3)This practical workshop will cover how to conduct research for your writing: fiction and non-fiction, memoir/biography and imagined. Writer, teacher and librarian, Robyn Veugan, will cover research from a range of angles. You will learn how to go about your research, where to find information – both online and print. She will look at using experts, research tools, and research tips and tricks. You will also undertake some hands-on online research activities.

12.30 – 1.30 pm: Lunch (bring your own)

1.30 – 3.00 pm: Panel – Joint session: Getting published. Chaired by Stephanie HuntRoom 1/2Greg Barron, Rosalie Skinner, Michael Burlace, Melissa BeitCovering: • E-publishing, traditional publishing • Getting published – writing a synopsis, the final polish and pitching, marketing, social

media presence

3.30 – 4.30 pm: Afternoon tea (provided) and Wrap Up (Take home messages)THE END

The program may be subject to change outside the control of the organisers. All registrants will be notified.

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(02) 6651 1566 www.pepperprint.com.au 6/9 GDT Seccombe Close,

Coffs Harbour NSW 2450

info@pepperprint.com.au

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